Center for Faculty Excellence

Assessment

The word "assessment" has taken on a variety of meanings within the realm of higher
education. Classroom assessment is both a teaching approach and a set of techniques.
In this perspective, classroom assessment differs from the conventional viewpoint
in that it is aimed at course and instructor impovement, rather than the simple act
of assigning grades. The primary goal in this discussion is to better understand
your students' learning to improve your teaching.

Traditional Assessment Both standardized and classroom testing procedures have advantages and disadvantages.
Classroom tests are more flexible, can be readily adapted to revisions made in course
content, and are best suited for assessing student progress toward specific course
outcomes. Yet these types of informal assessments provide little or no information
about how students are performing nationally in a specific content area. Standardized
tests are better for portraying an individual’s general academic achievement. However,
standardized tests are broad-based and do not provide the type of diagnostic information
that faculty require for providing students with specific and corrective feedback
related to mastery of specific course competencies.

Alternative Assessment Alternative and authentic assessments represent a profound shift in attitudes toward
the role of evaluation in learning. In effect, it is an entire paradigm shift, perceiving
the power that assessment can have on all areas of the instructional and learning
process. In this new paradigm, essential features directly replace old and outdated
standards.

Self Evaluation This page includes a number of useful links, including resources on Peer Observation
of Teaching.